Barb Byrum: Electoral College scheme favors partisanship over voters

Mar. 26, 2013

A screen shot of WKAR's "Off the Record."

Written by

Barb Byrum

Detroit Free Press guest writer

Barb Byrum, Ingham County Clerk / Courtesy of Barb Byrum

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Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson supports changing how Michigan awards electoral votes in a way that could rob people of their votes and puts partisanship ahead of the voice of Michigan voters.

Every 10 years after the U.S. Census, Michigan state legislators and the governor are tasked with the job of drawing district lines for Michigan's U.S. House of Representatives seats. This occurred most recently in 2011, following the 2010 U.S. Census.

These lines are not created equal, as they are configured to give advantage to whoever holds the majority to draw them in the first place. During the 2011 redistricting, Republicans controlled the state House and Senate, as well as the governor's office, so it is no surprise they drew lines most favorable to them.

While Michigan lost one member of Congress because of declining population, Republicans redrew congressional districts to produce nine seats for the GOP and five for Democrats.

With these redrawn gerrymandered districts set to last to 2020, Republicans have now set their sights on using them to influence the next presidential election in 2016. They want to get rid of the winner-take-all Electoral College vote system used in nearly every state and, instead, give those votes based on congressional districts.

During a taping of WKAR-TV's "Off the Record" last week, Johnson said she does not support Michigan's winner-take-all model for awarding electoral votes. Instead, Johnson said she supports a hybrid plan of distributing votes based on popular vote and congressional districts, and that legislators are working on such a plan.

Remember, the nine Republican seats the Republicans drew to the Democrats' five? It doesn't take a mathematician to see this scheme adds up only for Republicans.

If Michigan's electoral votes were award based on congressional districts last year, President Barack Obama -- who won Michigan's popular vote by nearly 450,000 votes -- would not have won a majority of Michigan's electoral votes.

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While the GOP may be tired of Michigan voting for Democratic presidential nominees for six election cycles, changing the rules out of frustration is unfair and wrong. Johnson should be ashamed of herself supporting such a partisan election-rigging scheme. Even under a hybrid proposal, elections would no longer be about the best candidates, best ideas and best campaigns -- or even the vote of the people -- but about an unfair partisan power grab.

As a county clerk, my job is to protect the democratic process with every election. I cannot stay silent on an issue that so blatantly contradicts this principle and threatens to silence the will of Michigan's voters.

I have lived through legislative sessions where the voice of the people -- our constituents -- went unheard or was silenced by dirty political tricks like the one Johnson supports.

As a democracy, we have the privilege of disagreeing on many issues. One thing we can all agree on, however, is that a scheme to rob people of their votes has no place in our democracy.

Barb Byrum is Ingham County Clerk.

Watch "Off the Record's interview with Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson